Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-08
iIaine's Views on the President's
Message.

[By telegraph to the Dispa;chl
New YORK, December THE Tri-
6Uc'S Paris correspondent cables to that
paper a report giving the views of
Blaine on the Presidents message.
Blaine said TO the I}7bmle representa-
tive: 81 have been reading an abstract
of the Presidents message, and have
been especially interested IN the COM
ments OF the London papers. These pa
pers all assume to declare the message is
a free-trade manifesto, and evidently are
anticipating an enlarged market for Eng
lsh fabrics in the United States as a
consequence of the Presidents recon-
mendations. Perhaps that fact stamped
the character of the message more clearly
than any words Of mine can.
You don't mean actual free trade
without duty {" queried the reporter.
mo-" replied Blaine. "nor do the
London papers mean that. They simply
mean that the President has recommend
ed what in the United states is known as
revenue tariff, rejecting the protective
feature as an object, and not even per
hitting protection to result freely as an
incident to revenue duties.
81 don't know that ! quite compre-
bend that last point, said the reporter.
81 mean," said Blaine, "that for the
first time in the history of the United
States the President recommends retain
ing the internal tax in order that the
tariff may be forced down even below
fair revenue standard. He recommends
that tobacco be retained, and thus that
many millions annually shall be levied
on domestic product which would far
better come from the tariff on foreign
fabrics"
Mr. Blaine favored repeal of the to-
bacco tax. He said: 4" should urge
that it be done at once even before the
Christmas holidays. 1t would, In the
first place, bring great relief to the grow
ers OF tobacco all over the country, and
would, moreover, materially lessen the
price of the article TO the consumer
Tobacco to millions of men is neces-
sity. The President calls it luxury, but
il is a luxury in no other sense than tea
and coffee are luxuries. The only excuse
for such tax is the actual necessity under
which the Government bound itself
during the warand the years Immediately
following. To retain the tax now in or
der to destroy the protection winch
would incidentally follow from raising
the amount of money Oh foreign i'm
ports is certainly 4 most extraordinary
policy for our Government.
"Well, then, Mr.. Blaine, would you
advise a repeal OF the whiskey-tax law?
"No, would not. Other considera-
tons than those of financial administra-
ton are to be taken into account with
regard to whiskey. There is moral side
to it. To cheaper the price OF whiskey
is to increase the consumption enor-
mously. There would be no sense in
urging a reform wrought by high license
in many States. Ii the National
Government neutralizes the good
effect by making whiskey within the
reach of every one at 20 cents a gallon,
whiskey would be everywhere distilled.
Ii the surveillance of the Government
were Withdrawn by the remission OF the
tax. illicit sales could not then be pre-
vented even by policy a. rigorous and
searching az lutt WIN WnICu husslh gov
ems tue Nihilists. 1t would destroy
high license at once in all the States.
Whiskey has done a vast deal OF harm
in the United States. would try
to make it do some good. l would
use the tax to fortify eur cities and sea
boards. In view OF the powerful letter
addressed to the Democratic party oa
the subject Of Notifications by the late
Samuel J.. Tilden in 1885 | am amazed
that no attention has been paid to the
subject by the Democratic Administra-
ton. Never before in the history OF the
world has any government allowed great
cities on the seaboard like Philadelphia,
New York, Boston, Baltimore, New Or
leans, and San Francisco to remain de-
fenceless."